Teaching Partnership Four Years on: Lessons Learned about Relationships between Universities and Practice Partners?

The North-East Social Work Alliance was formed in 2016 following a successful application for Government funding in the second wave of Teaching Partnerships. The formation of this Teaching Partnership enabled the development of new and innovative ways of working between higher education institutions and their partner agencies. Four years on this has resulted in a complex network of relationships combining well established existing partnerships with new partnerships and stakeholder arrangements that transcend institutional boundaries. This paper explores the impact the North-East Social Work Alliance has had on stakeholder relationships between one university and its partner agencies. By examining the perspectives of the university and its practice partners, it explores structural and operational relationships and critically examines the enhanced model of partnership working that Teaching Partnerships have facilitated. It concludes that overall Teaching Partnerships have promoted enhanced relationships between higher education institutions and their stakeholders. However, it identifies areas that should be addressed within future governance arrangements by Teaching Partnerships and similar partnership programmes internationally in order to maximise the impact such programmes have on social work education